I think that a big old feral hog who's been shot at a time or two is right up there, smart as a can be. But mountain sheep of any kind are probably the most challenging physically. I guess we could include toughest to bring down as well.

I'll tell you another one that's tough customer to put lead into and thats a wiley old coyote whos felt the sting of a bullet before!

Any opions on what the most challenging critter in the world would be? I'm thinking some type of Himaliyan mountain sheep or goat I just don't know.

Mice are a pretty tricky game. Lil' bastards can dodge a .22 like nobody's business!

__________________"Death and honor are thought to be the same,
but today I have learned that sometimes they are not."
---------------------
" I like big fat men like you. When they fall they make more noise!
...and sometimes they never get up."
-Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez

Sorta mumblin' and thinkin' out loud: The most difficult physical challenges would be animals in high-mountain terrain. However, since the odds are they don't get hunted as much, they're maybeso not quite as "cute and cunning" as, say, a mature white-tailed buck that's managed to dodge hunters for half-a-dozen years. Maybe the same for muleys, I dunno.

I imagine any animal of an often-hunted species will be wilier about self-preservation than those which depend mostly on location for security.

I guess this leads to a breakdown into two groups: Those which are a physical challenge just to get into their turf and find them within shooting distance, and those which truly challenge your actual hunting skills to find them even when you pretty much know where they are and the walking is easy.

Art

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Art
I think you hit on something there. All of the sheep hunts I've been on are a physically challenging ordeal. However once you find the sheep the hunt is pretty much over as they ain't to tough to put a sneak on.
Then there are critters that are just plain tough to put a sneak on. Any of you guys ever try and put a stalk on a prong horn buck on day two of the season??

yorec, the best way to stalk mountain lions down in the Texas Big Bend country is to let them stalk you. Just amble around the country in an area where tracks are common. If you hear an occasional faint noise behind you, use your "rear-view mirror".

Or you can set up in view of my trash-burn pit with a good book, and wait...

Art

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For me. Whitetailed deer in the Appalachians, on public land. They're hunted hard, have widely varied and periodic food and water sources, and multiple routes of travel. Every year I hunt I see dozens of turkeys, and very few deer.

Art, doesn't the clanking sound of the big brass balls it takes to stalk lions attract their attention and ruin the stalk?

As long as we are talking about lions...... I've heard that one of the most hair raising expierences on gods green earth is stalking an african lion in thick cover. I've also just recieved some information on a leapord hunt in the Kalihari that is done with a bushman tracker and is a tracking hunt on foot for ole spots. thats got to be a little on the western side I'd think.

As far as Mt lions go you can ask my mother what one looks like up close and un-wounded. Thats right I said my mother. She had a close encounter with one about 15 years ago. She had one get into her chicken house and close the door on it self. Unbeknownst to her at the time. She went down to grian the birds and thought to her self kinda funny thought she left the door open last night. In any case when she opened the door she was standing in the imediate escape zone of one highly agitated large cat. No one was hurt but both she and the cat made tracks for the hills. The cat ran her over on the way out but didn't leave her with so much as a scratch. Lucky I guess. That same winter lots of dogs started to disapear from neighboring ranches. I figure it was a young cat trying to make a living anyway he could. I ran him once out of season and caught him but returned the favor and let him go. As far as I know he's moved on and taken to normal cat activity far and away from people. Kinda tough to kill a lion who had the chance to do so to your own mother.

But Mr. Warden sir - I wasn't using any bait, it's just lil ol' lonesome me out here...

Truth be known - the only encounter I've ever had with a cougar at handgun ranges was when I turned to see one stalking me just as you described. I wasn't hunting then, and I sure wished I'd had a handgun with me at the time. Sure know what you mean about that traction situation...

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What part of "... shall not be infringed..." don't you understand?

Last night I called a friend of mine who has hunted the world over several times. He votes for the African Bongo Buck. Tough to find and they live in some helaicious rain forrest so I'm told.

As far as Black Bear goes I'd have to respectfully disagree on that one. I've killed four Blackies on foot without the aid of dogs. Two in the lower 48 and two in AK. As long as you have the wind advantage and know were to look they are actually kind of a push over to find and put a stalk on. If they are feeding they tend to loose track of there suroundings making the stalk pretty easy. The two I killed in the lower 48 were both close to town. A hungry bear is a stupid bear.

I'd have to say trickiest to hunt are Elk. Their senses are uncanny and they are so unpredictable!you can scout the same heard all summer into fall, but the day you go to hunt them you find they've decided to move 8 ridges over for no reason that you can see. You have to work real hard to get one. A horse helps cover ground immensely, but it's still 90% luck.
For a real challenge, try a grizzly. There's something real exciting about hunting a 1200lb animal that'll hunt you right back!

Now, Sensop. You know danged well that the greatest challenge in hunting is to discover the wily federal bureaucrat who will assume responsibility for the consequences of his decisions--and be held accountable.

Getting back to halfway serious, I've long been amazed at how quickly a coyote learns from the misfortunes of his buddies. You call; several come to the sound of that poor, dying rabbit. You shoot one. Well, forget about the rest of them ever coming back to that sound.

Art

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I've never hunted Pronghorn Antelope, but i read and talked to those who say they are very difficult to stalk & hunt.

12-34hom.

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This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend, it is my life. I must master itas i master my life.Without me my rifle is useless, without my rifle i am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I Will. Before God i swear this creed. My rifle and myself are defenders of my country. We are masters of our enemy. We are saviours of my life. So be it until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.

12-34, they seem to vary. I'm not sure they're wily like an old whitetail buck, but when they're skittish, they're difficult. And then sometimes they stand around like an old tired cow. Dangfino.

My only antelope came from a ranch north of Marfa. He was the first one we saw, and he waited patiently for our return. In the meantime we had glassed some 40 others, all of whom were skittish and none as good as El Primo.

There are often bunches of them along US 90 around Marfa. They just stand by the highway fence, counting cars...

, Art

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From that red rock outcrop to the cream-colored triangle toward the left rear is some six or seven miles. Where I'm standing is some 600 to 800 feet above the low, rolling country below. Doesn't sound like a lot, unless you're hunting uphill.

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